This massive flood is very likely to be larger in scale and scope than they predicted.
Even though they had evacuated early, the expert team was still not entirely at ease with the people in the danger zone.
Several members of the expert group even went to the site in person to measure the river water level.
As major television stations and media outlets have been exaggerating the severity of this massive flood, many residents who were initially optimistic have begun to seek ways to escape.
At this time, most of the floods occurred in the southern waters. Although there were flood peaks in the north, flooding was rare. Some people moved from the vicinity of the Yangtze River basin to the homes of relatives in Nenjiang.
Some residents who were not included in the relocation plan hurriedly packed their belongings and left their hometowns to escape the floods further north. Meanwhile, some residents who had been relocated by the government were relieved that they had made their decision early, so that they would have a safe place to stay when the floods came.
Throughout the Yangtze River basin, news continues to emerge of mudslides occurring in various locations on certain days, resulting in numerous deaths and serious injuries.
People who had just moved away from the main stream of the Yangtze River were gloating, building their houses in dangerous areas. Later, the floodwaters gradually overflowed the reservoir and began to flow from the tributaries of the Yangtze River toward the flood control area.
Gradually, the water level in the flood control area began to rise sharply, and the floodwaters inundated towns, cities, and other high-lying areas.
Schools had to announce a holiday, and shops closed early due to a lack of business for half a month. In rural areas, the floodwaters had reached the tree trunks along the roads, and the crops in the fields were completely submerged.
The situation wasn't much better in the city. In many residential areas, the continuous torrential rains flooded the first floors, submerging a lot of furniture and appliances. The roads were flooded with water up to knee-deep and couldn't be drained, making it impossible for cars to move.
Every now and then you can see one or two people on the road, wading through the water while pulling their bicycles forward.
Given that the expert group predicted the scale of the catastrophic flood would be larger than their previous assessment, the authorities decided to expand the evacuation of residents in the danger zone.
Floods broke out in the Yangtze River basin and showed a tendency to spread outwards. As a result, a large number of residents were relocated from Poyang Lake, Jiangxi and other areas.
Unlike the first batch of relocated residents, this group of residents was exceptionally cooperative.
After more than two months of continuous rainfall, many people knew that even if the torrential rain did not flood their houses, it could very well cause flash floods and mudslides, which could instantly kill them.
Furthermore, after months of coverage on television news and in various newspapers, people have gained a new understanding of floods.
The authorities first evacuated residents from low-lying rural areas. Later, as a precaution, township governments relocated residents living near the Yangtze River tributaries, or near flood control lakes and flood control areas.
Soon after, the head of the Poyang Lake reservoir on the Yangtze River announced that the dam was no longer able to hold and that the only option was to release floodwaters.
Otherwise, if the dam were to collapse under the pressure of the flood, it would be a huge disaster.
Releasing floodwaters means that the reservoir will use less risk to resist greater risk.
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